Raypath

Primarily a Human city, there is also a sizable population of Vanara and Ganeshans.

It is a city ruled by the Ambrose Family. It is one of the few lands held directly under the Royal family of the Empire.

The city's primary defenses are the mountainous gates of the valley.

The city's main exports are its food, it's jade crafts, and it's bronze tools. The valley is well kept and maintained and produces plentiful harvests thanks to the blessings of both Are and Mizuko. The mine beside the city produces plentiful jade of high quality and is often seen as it's greatest mineral treasure. At the foot of mount Sore, the is the mine which has been blessed with plentiful copper and tin, allowing for bronze to be made in bulk for the city.

The roads of the city are well kept and built. A sewer system is built across the whole of the city and grows with the city. The city has a necropolis named Rayearth near the mouth of the valley.

Holds the central wealth of the Empire. The Treasury, the Grand Armory, the Royal Library, the Royal Palace, Court of Satraps, and ever more.

Nobles Matou A family of Necromancers who has a number of shops and farms to their name. They are often seen as the lowest of the low amongst the nobles, with their necromancy. However, they have been allowed to stay despite this as the royal family would rather put up with them then another group of necromancers. Imigawa Joined into the Empire only 50 years ago, they were from another empire and brought slavery to the city. While they constantly clash heads with the Ambrose's neither side can remove each other. The Ambrose's can't remove them as slavery is not illegal, and the Imigawa stop every attempt to remove it. The Imigawa can't remove the Ambrose's because the Gunji Ryoku is loyal to them and the populous at large like them. This has resulted in slavery being legal, but not institutional. Oda A strange noble family because they are actually part of the Gunji Ryoku. They are a family of military generals of great skill and renown. They have various interests in the city, but much of their wealth comes from the forges that supply the other members. They also own the largest dojo and training ground in the city and offer training courses for those who would wish to command. They are often seen as the highest authority of the Gunji Ryoku. Whitesmith A family of enchanters and blacksmiths that has been in the valley since before the empire’s founding, they originally had a monopoly on the city forges and boasted the finest enchanted armaments in the land. However, with the rise of the Gunji Ryoku, their lack of personal combat skill and unwillingness to engage in battle diminished their influence, and resulted in their exclusive forge rights being given to the battle-hardened Oda family. Ever since, the Whitesmiths have held a grudge against the Oda family, whom they regard as usurpers who used politics to strip the forges away from the superior weapons smiths. Ever since, the Whitesmiths have steadfastly refused to enchant Odan blades, with the exception of direct orders by the royal family in times of war… and even then, very reluctantly. This has led to much frustration in the Gunji Ryoku, as this effectively spits in the face of the needs of the military. But begrudgingly, the Whitesmiths are left alone, as even as cowardly and traitorous as they might be to the Gunji Ryoku, their skill at honing a blade to perfection is unquestioned. Hitsu [Something to do with Jade] Mori   Kenshin Known as the Fumetsu on the battlefield, the Kenshin serve as the elite shock troops of the Empire. The fire in their blood makes them terrifying to behold. A typical Fumetsu charge features a squadron of Kenshin warriors armed with Nodachi at the front with another squadron of Kenshin Sorcerers behind. The sorcerers bombard the enemy flank with waves of fire as the warriors smash into it, the bloodline’s natural affinity for fire protects them from the blast. The warriors will wrap the flames around their blades and slaughter the enemy who by this point has typically been routed due to the fear of fire and the intimidating visages of the Fumetsu warriors. The family stretches back to the earliest days of the empire and can trace its origins to a single card game. The empire was at war with a nearby elven kingdom and on the eve before the battle a wildfire sprang to being in the forest adjacent to the battlefield. This forest was the stakes of the battle, both the empire and their foe sought to use it for lumber. The fire was caused by the entrance of a spirit from one of the higher planes. At the time of the entrance, Yuudai resided in his tent conversing with his friend and confidant Ha-Jalah about the battle to come. Ha-Jalah, with his keener senses felt the entrance first. This new player was problematic. The empire was already outnumbered in this battle, and their foes had made a pact with an old and powerful dragon which brought with it a force of kobolds as large as the elven forces. If the empire went to put out the fire or defeat the spirit, their foe was sure to ambush them and if they left it alone, the battle would be for naught. The two gods quickly came up with a plan; they would convince the spirit to join Yuudai’s forces. Ha-Jalah bounded off into the forest. The spirit, whose name was Kenshin Shisho-Hiroki, was difficult to entreat. Upon seeing the monkey-god approach, it spat fire, singeing Ha-Jalah’s feathers and then his fur. It threw attack after attack at the monkey-god until it noticed a pack of cards in the god’s satchel while he briefly took the from of a human. It suddenly ceased its attack and took great interest in the deck, which was made of wafer-thin slips of jade and enameled with gold. It asked the monkey-god if he was an avid player. Ha-Jalah replied with the truth, that he was indeed an avid player, and then spoke what he considered to be a lie- that there was one nearby who was an even better player than he. The spirit demanded to know who it was. It took some cajoling for the spirit to “force” Ha-Jalah to reveal the location of this player. In a few minutes, the two arrived at Yuudai’s tent and the spirit Kenshin Shisho-Hiroki demanded a match with the God of Humanity. Yuudai accepted, but named the terms. Should he lose, the spirit would devour Yuudai’s army and the forest. If Yuudai won, the spirit would pledge fealty to Yuudai. The course of the game differs by who tells it, the Kenshin hold that it was a close contest between the two; the priests of Yuudai claim that it was a rather unremarkable match, with Yuudai winning by achieving victory in the third cycle through ascension; and Ha-Jalah himself describes it as an amusingly bad series of hands for Yuudai until the final cycle which lasted only two deals. Whatever the course of the game, in all of the stories, the outcome is the same, Yuudai emerges victorious. The next morning, Yuudai’s forces entered the forest to put out the fire, and as predicted, the enemy ambushed them. They were ambushed in turn, when the spirit bound itself to the blaze and brought in around their forces, cutting off any retreat and shrinking slowly. The dragon, sensing itself outnumbered, three-to-one and unwilling to risk its own forces in such conditions, fled. The enemy forces were routed after a quarter-hour’s fighting. Yuudai picked up a branch from the blaze and put it to a torch so that they could carry the spirit back to Raypath. As they began to organize to march, however, Yuudai found himself approached by a common soldier. The soldier explained that he had become enchanted by the beauty of the flames and wished to become their keeper. Sensing the truth in the soldier’s heart, Yuudai granted his request and had a hall built to hold the flame. The years passed and the spirit bore a child by the soldier, who became the first of the Kenshin family. Eventually the soldier grew old and died and the spirit continued to take spouses after his death. To this day the spirit lives within that hall in a great fire which the family feeds eternally. Today, there are two ways to become a Kenshin: Those who have distinguished themselves in the Gunji Ryouku are given the chance to become fire-grooms or brides. If they accept, they must leave any existing family behind and are accepted as honorary members of the Kenshin family. Their children will be full members of the family, but their grandchildren may lose that privilege depending on the heat of their blood. Each grandchild must have a drop of their blood spilled onto a sheet of paper. If the paper ignites, the child remains a Kenshin. If not, they will be raised in the family until they are of age, at which point they become a member of the Gunji Ryouku. The second method is available to all. One simply submits themselves to Kenshin Shisho-Hiroki and throws themself into its pyre. While they burn, Kenshin Shisho-Hiroki will alter their soul, pulling it apart and putting it in a form that is more like its own. The process is incredibly painful and few survive. All who die in the process are consumed, body and soul by Kenshin Shisho-Hiroki. Torii Toyotomi Amako Kani Sanada

Created at the start of human history, it was founded by Yuudai, and made as the first human settlement. Ever since then it has maintained it's placed as the most powerful human city in the world. From it, the first empire of man spread and after the Fracture of Man so did the second.

Much of the city is built out of wood, with stone being used primarily as a foundational rather than material preference. The roofs are often wide overlapping to allow for plenty of shade around the buildings. They are steeply angled near the center, and curve to a softer curve near the edge, allowing water to flow quickly, and to keep too much snow from building up on the roofs during the winter. While near the river, the houses are built up on stilts to help the houses weather floods. The buildings of the city higher up the hills don't do this, prefering to use stone foundations to hold the building above the ground.   Internally, they prefer the use of sliding walls and doors, allowing them to rearrange the inner structure of the building to meet their needs. Often they have no solid outer walls either, using these sliding walls as the weather permits.

The city sits in a wide river valley. The river of Mizuko runs from west to east. Along the mountains to the south-east, nearby the sea sits the volcano of Are. To the north, is Sore, the second largest mountain, and metal mine of the city. The city of Raypath itself on a sharp series of hills south of the river, in the western part of the valley. The part of the river that the city touches sits a small pond that the river flows through.

Jade, Copper, Tin, Rice, and Fish.